Communication technology has provided members of many societies throughout the world the ability to communicate with each other in various formats including voice, graphics, video, voice combined with video, text or any combination of these types of information. Social media websites allow communities throughout the world to speak to each other and share information instantaneously. Not surprisingly, privacy and security of information have become major concerns in many industries due to the prevalence of easily accessible devices, systems and communication networks. Also, the facility with which graphics, video and other types of information can be copied is another concern for industries. The most notable communication network, of course, is the Internet, which allows virtually anyone with the proper software installed on their computer and a connection to the World Wide Web to communicate with anyone else connected to the Web.
The Internet is a public network and arguably not under the control of any one government or organization. The conveyance of information over the Internet, especially sensitive, private and vital information, in a secured manner is a top priority for many industries. More specifically, the unauthorized and oftentimes illegal interception of private and sensitive information as it traverses the Internet has become increasingly worrisome for many industries. Also, the illegal and authorized copying (or downloading) of video, graphics and other types of information available on the Internet for viewing only is another major concern. Such information obtained illegally can be reproduced, for example, on a large scale allowing the copiers to profit from information they copied off the Internet.
Even though, in many cases, the information may be encrypted prior to being transmitted through the Internet, the information ultimately has to be decrypted at its intended final destination for viewing by the intended recipient. In many cases, the invasion of privacy, loss of security or the unauthorized interception of information occurs at the destination where the information is in its decrypted and/or original form and thus its vulnerability to interception, or viewing by unauthorized persons (or being accessed without permission) is at its greatest at that point.
Typically, sensitive information is displayed on a computer screen for viewing, ideally, by the intended party or parties and no one else. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. In many semi-public settings (e.g., bank teller's desk, medical doctor's office, hospital computer), a computer displaying private and sensitive information is often left unattended sometimes for a relatively long period of time. For example, a person's medical record can be displayed on a computer screen, or a person's bank account details or a person's academic record can all be viewed on a computer display. The information being displayed is typically temporarily stored in the computer's RAM (Random Access Memory) and can be easily copied with a removable portable storage device (commonly referred to as a “zip drive”). Also, a screenshot of the information can be printed or copied quite easily. Although, many desktop computers now have screen saver software, in many cases the screen saver software is not triggered until minutes after the computer is left unattended; in many cases, this is sufficient time for the displayed information to be copied or recorded.
Currently, there are privacy screens, which are detachably positioned over a computer display to prevent any peripheral viewing of information being displayed on a computer screen. These screens are designed so that only someone sitting directly in front of the computer screen can see the displayed information. However, these privacy screens can be easily detached from the computer, and from the discussion above, these privacy screens don't even begin to address the issues of unauthorized access to unattended information being displayed on computer screens.
Another problem is the issue of unauthorized access to the computer system wherein the sensitive information is stored. Similar to the displayed information, the information may be stored in its original format and not encrypted; that is, the information may be encrypted when it is about to be transmitted over the Internet. Regardless, how the information is stored (encrypted or in original format) the computer system may suffer from unauthorized access or be subject to software viruses that can cause great harm to the information and software residing in the computer system. Further, even when access to the information is allowed to the general public by the owner of the information, there is the concern of the illegal/unauthorized downloading or copying of the information (especially visual information such as video, and graphics) by anyone having access to the website at which the information is available.